Hooped

Hi everybody.

I guess you could say I'm detoxing today after a week of pretty hard drinking.
Has anyone experienced difficulty breathing while detoxing?

My chest feels kind of tight and earlier I was gasping sort of....trying to get a good breath of air.

It seems to have subsided somewhat now and I plan of seeing the doctor tomorrow ( I'm too messed up today to go anywhere).

Has anybody experienced this gasping for air while detoxing?

I kind of suspect it is due to almost a panic attack type feeling from the withdrawl. It seems to be subsiding somewhat as the day goes on thankfully but it kind of scared me earlier today, which of course only seemed to make it worse.

I'm not asking for medical advice, I do have a doctor appt tomorrow, but I would like to know if others have experienced something similar.

Thanks.

suki44883

I haven't, but then I do know that detoxing can be very dangerous. I hope you will go to the ER or call 911 if you continue to experience shortness or breath or chest pains. Better safe than sorry.

Dee74

Hi Hooped

Welcome

I experienced something similar but I also suffer from asthma, I smoked 40 cigs a day, it was the height of summer, I was prone to anxiety and there were other brain injury factors involved as well...so it's a good call to go and see the Dr at latest tomorrow and find out what exactly is up in your case and circumstances

D

LexieCat

I felt like I couldn't breathe every single day while I was drinking--because I was detoxing during the day until I could drink when I got home from work.

I felt as if, if I didn't intentionally breathe, I wouldn't.

Very much like a panic attack.

If it suddenly gets worse after getting better, though, you should get checked out immediately. Shortness of breath can also signal serious things like a heart attack.

Anna

As others have said, it could be an anxiety attack. I was an anxious mess when I stopped drinking, but it affected me in that my thoughts would not slow down. I am so thankful to not have to go through that anymore.

I'm glad you are going to your dr.

CarolD

I'd have already called 911....
Chest pains would have sent me to the phone!

Welcome to SR...

Supercrew

I had problems breathing while I was going through withdrawals quite often. I couldn't sit still, and I felt like I couldn't breathe then I got shaky again then thought I was having a stroke or a heart attack, and I would try to walk it off, then try to lay back down and start over again. I was always afraid to call the Dr., sometimes I thought it could be heartburn or indigestion, so I would always wait it out and either get loaded again which made it go away, or I found a way to fall asleep.

So yes, I had that feeling quite often, and it was one of the major reasons why I quit drinking. I knew I was hurting my body somehow, and I was afraid that the next time I would not catch my breath and I would die.

penny74

l had the same.
It was explained to me as hyperventilating because l was breathing wrong.
That was the result of my body screaming for something to calm my nerves after alcohol abuse.
A few drinks and it was gone. (only to come back later, worse)
Or a few benzo's.
But l agree with the others.
See you doc. Better safe than sorry.
Good luck and endure !

Hooped

Well I took your advise guys and ended up going to the ER
Was there 5 hours but now I can breathe again, they fixed me up
Thanks

hotshot

Anxiety..............never had one untill my home detox................couple months before hospital detox...........Very scary. Thought I was actually gonna die so as bad of shape as I was in I cleaned my apartment and wrote a good bye note.............I thought that I was goin for sure and could not leave all those canslayin around....I am binge drinker.......Last one was about a 30 pack a day for a month,,,,,,,,,,Anyway I am sober for a month and a day now.............What will help me more thsn ever as I have said before is I have realized I am not invincible..................I need to remember that cause I do not wanna die and my next drink mifght actually kill me. I never believed that before but I truly do now.............Ranting is encouraged .....especially when we first get started on the road to recovery...lol...........Keep the Faith

Supercrew

May I ask what they said, or what they gave you to fix you up? Did they give you a prognosis? I always wondered exactly what I was going through.